Improvement in locks



UNITED STATES RANDOLPH s. rosTnR, OR siNe siNe; NRW YORK, JRssieNoR To niMsnLr,

PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS' WALSH, JAND JOHN C. NOBLES.

im PROV-EM ENT I'N Looks.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,003', dated July 2 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RANDOLH S. FosTER,of Sing Sing, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door and other Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andl exact descrip'- tion of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,lmaking a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of the lock. Fig. 2 represents in perspective a detached part of the lock not distinctly seen in Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents in perspective another detached part of the lock not distinctly shown in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 represents the pins upon -which the key-pins act to arrange them for the turning of the cam that works the bolt. Fig. 5 represents in perspective the key of the lock. l

Similar letters of reference, where they oc curin the several iigures,denote like parts in all cases.

My invention consists, first, in the combination of the escutcheon and cam on the shank of the knob or lever with an interposed series of pins, with collars or nuts upon them, which pins are to be are arranged by the key before the escutcheon and cam can be turned to move the bolt; and, secondly, my invention consists in a spring-bolt on the inside of the lock, and operated in the inside thereof forl the purpose of making the lock serve the purpose of a dead-latch,7 or nightlock orlatch. as will be explained in connection with the drawings.

A represents a lock-case. and B the bolt therein, said bolt having a shoulder, a, upon it for a cam projection to catch against to move it back, it being shot forward when free from the cam projection by a spring. as will be hereinafter described. C is a box containing a series of pins, b, Fig. 4, that have collars or necks c upon them, and which must all be properly arranged by the key before the cam that throws back the bolt can be moved. D is a part of the lock-frame, and has upon it a series of springs, d, against or on which the pins b rest, and are pressed by the key-pins when the key is inserted. E is an escutcheon on the shank ofthe knob or lever F, and turns with said shank or knob. This escutcheon has a radial slot, e, out through it toy admit'of the insertion of the key G, Fig. 5, and also a .concentric slot, f, that straddles the neck g of fthe key, so as to allow the escutcheon to turn. The shank of the knob or lever F passes through the hub 0,' and has upon it, beyond the hub, a cam, H, which turns with the knob or shank. This cani has four concentric slots, h, cut through it that will just take and pass the necks c of the pins b in a portion of their length, the other portions of the slots being large enough to move past the body of its respective pin, as seen in Fig. 2, and upon the perimeter of the cam H there are two projections, 13 7c, the one t' taking against the shoulder a in the bolt B to force it back,and the other, k, taking against a projectionm, on a springbolt, m, to draw it down, said spring-bolt, when released from the cam projection,shoot ing into a hole, o, in the main bolt B, to prevent the bolt from being thrown forward by its spring p (in dotted lines in Fig. 1,)nntil the cam is turned far enough to draw down said bolt m.

Heretofore the bolt of a dead or night latch has been locked or released by some contrivance on the outside of the latch.

I arrange the device for releasing the bolt on the inside of the lock, and so that it cannot be got at or operated without the key of the lock.

I have shown a knob as the means of working the bolt and other parts of the lock. A lever bent at right angles to the shank would in many cases be better, as it would allow more room for the easy insertion of the key, and the shank and knob or lever, instead of being on one side only., may extend through the lock or door and be used from either side of it; orthe lock may be a mortise lock, and access had to it from both sides of the door.

To unlock the door, the key is first entered in the slot e .of the escutcheon, and its pins pressed in against the pins b until the necks c of said pins b are arranged so that the narrow portions of the slots h in the cam H will pass them. The knob F is then turned,bring ing the concentric slot f of the escutcheonover the neck g of the key, which holds the key in the lock. By continuing to turn the -knobV the projection i on the cam takes against the shoulder a on the main bolt, and moves said bolt against the action of thespring p, which becomes thereby compressed. By turning the knob back in the contrary directionthe recoil of the spring p pushes out the main bolt, after the spring-bolt has been drawn out of it by the projection k of the cam; but if it be desirable 'to allow the main bolt to remain in the lock, then the cam need not' be turned back far enough to draw out the spring-bolt. When, in turning back the cani and escutcheon, the radial slot e comes opposite to the key, the springsd, bearing against their pins b, and the pins b, pressing against the key-pins,will throw out the key, and the pins b thus moving their bodies into the Wide portions of the slots h the parts are all locked until the key is again inserted to arrange the pins b. Although the ends of the pins may easily be got at, yet Without the key they cannot be properly arranged and held, for they must be held when arranged, and then the escutcheon as wellas the Cain must be able to move past the thing that holds them arranged. It would therefore, Without the key, be next to impossible to open the look.

Having thus fully described the construction and operation of my lock, what I claim 1sl. The combination of the escutcheon and cam Worked by shank of the knob or lever with an interposed series of pins having necks thereon, and which must be properly arranged by a key before either the escutoheon or cam can be turned to operate the main bolt of the lock, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a earn or its equivalent, to operate a lock-bolt, a spring-bolt, fm, arranged inside of and operated inside of the lock for locking back the main bolt, substantially in the manner and for the purpose dcscribed.

R. S. FOSTER.

Vitnesses:

A. B. SToUGHToN, J. C. NoBLns. 

